Here are the new features in the works for BlackBerry OS 10.3

Last week Michael Clewley dropped a bunch of upcoming OS 10.3 features into his BBM channel and we rounded them all up here. In case you missed them, or like to wait until things are officially official, Inside BlackBerry has posted up a list of 18 new features that we can expect to see in OS 10.3. The OS itself is still a ways off, but it's always good to have something to look forward to, right?

Here's what's coming in OS 10.3:

New UI

'Signature Action': The action bar at the bottom of the screen has been updated for a simpler, cleaner experience. The most commonly used action is in the center of the bar and highlighted with blue color to give it focus. The secondary actions flank the primary or 'signature action' for functionality. The main action is static for each app/screen. For all you developers out there keep an eye out for how to take advantage of this feature in your app!

Updated Icons: While the SDK doesn't include all the updated icons for the new 10.3 look, all apps will receive a fresh new treatment. We listened to your feedback to remove the box around the icons in BlackBerry 10. I'm happy to let you know we are doing this to give icons a clean, new look.

Home Screen

Endless Folders: That's right, now you can jam more apps into a single folder, as you can have pages and pages of applications. For those of you who have multiple folders that you want to combine into one . . . we've thought of that! Just drag and drop a folder onto another and it will merge the apps into a single folder. Sorry, no folders within folders for this release.

Empty Home Screen: One of the changes made to the home screen is making the "running apps grid" always there even if you close your last application. Less confusion, more predictability for end users. Also, it's a great way to show off your wallpaper!
A new two-finger-swipe gesture has been added to BlackBerry OS 10.3

Fast Quick Settings Access: Changing system settings from anywhere is only a two-finger-swipe away. From within any application a two-finger-swipe from the top will pull down the systems quick settings menu. Why two fingers rather than one? Well, simple, one-finger-swipe is already in use. To make that work would require all third-party applications being re-written. Don't worry, you can still use one-finger-swipe from the home screen itself.

Blog Bonus — More Apps on Screen: You noticed that the screenshots provided had some more icons than you are used to. The BlackBerry Z3, Z10 & Z30 now get an extra row of apps. For my QWERTY friends rocking out on a Q5 or Q10, you get an extra column of apps.

BlackBerry Hub

Download All Attachments: We've added a button to the email screen that allows you to quickly download all email attachments. This is handy when you're heading offline onto, say, an airplane and want to have all your attachments on your device.

Delete Original Text: When replying to an email, you can now delete all of the original text.

Remote IMAP Search: Even if e-mail items are no longer on your BlackBerry they are still always available for you to find and view! Just customize your account sync window.

File Sent Messages: Allows you to file sent messages into specific folders defined in the mail box.

BlackBerry Hub "Reset": The BlackBerry Hub will now close / auto-save open content and default to the list after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Calendar & Remember

Weekly Agenda: We've had many comments about wanting an "endless" agenda view. We've taken a step in that direction today and have added a weekly agenda view. The weeks are outlined at the top and you have a total agenda view for that week below. As this is still in beta you'll notice the color is slightly different, so don't mind that for now.

Tasks in Calendar: Pretty simple addition that lets you create a task from within the calendar app itself, and of course see those tasks listed in the calendar. Tasks created in Remember will show in the calendar. Calendar-created tasks are also listed in Remember.

Notifications Meeting Mode: Ever been in a meeting and had your phone go off when it shouldn't have? Well here's a neat feature that should allow you to save face. The notification profile will be tweaked automatically based on your calendar. This, of course, is an opt-in feature, so don't worry that you'll start missing desired notifications.

Remember Updates: Are you a Tasks person or a Notes person? Well, we've made Remember easier to use for those who really like to organize. The tasks and notes are separated by a tab and as a user you'll have the ability to set what your default view is.

Miscellaneous

Camera: An updated UI makes it simpler to take a picture, switch between cameras and toggle certain features.

Filer Picker Album View: When sending a picture from the file manager in BlackBerry 10.3, there's now an album view, just like within the Pictures app.

Settings List Re-arrange: In BlackBerry 10.3 you'll be able to re-arrange the order of the Settings menu, allowing you to move your most frequently-used items to the top.

Reader comments

Here are the new features in the works for BlackBerry OS 10.3

here are the 3 points i wanted the most:
1. search contacts using initials such as "MJ" for Michael Jacson"
2. keep all emails received or with an option, even when original messages are deleted from POP server
3. It will be nice is Android Apps can be freely installed on my Q10.

I just installed 10.3. Im only a few hours in, but it is quite slick, although unresponsive on my Z10.
It takes more than 1 try to click the x and close an app. Also, my music, picture, and video icon are missing, along with every other BB app I had. Logging into my BB account did not help either.

How about true fullscreen in portrait mode on the Web browser which is the way most reading is done let the bar at the bottom disappear after to seconds,thats the only reason I've paid for other Web browsers I want that clean fullscreen look with no distractions

Also the ability to integrate/add new swipe actions for other/additional commands, like that app, which didn't work well, as it had to be opened all the time and could not be used in apps.

Swipes like evolution swipe left and right. Maybe, swipe a circle to refresh. As mentioned, use of the one/two/three fingers for different commands. Perhaps, some of those gestures used by Cruise in Minority Report, drag left/right, turn things. That would be cool. Now that I think about it Google Maps kind of got it right with the gesture manipulation.

I didn't have a problem with the box around the icons and I'm not too sure I'm looking forward to its removal. Guess I'll wait and see what the new icons look like before I can really say if they're an improvement or not.

BlackBerry really needs to give us customized notifications profiles like in OS7. Or at least an office profile. I am sick of messing around with the volume buttons all the time. I'd love to be able to tap my phone on a NFC tag once I get to the office to toggle me in an office profile.

Blackberry has dragged their feet for far too long, I've been a fan from day 1. But due to the fact the they offer limited apps, and charge far too much for the crap that they do have, I'm done... HTC M8 my new choice, later whackberry!

In the past when i did reload OS in blackberry link for the leaks, it stayed on the same OS, just wiping everything and not going back to the previous version, hence why I am asking of I did reload OS in blackberry link would it go back to 10.2.1

From within any application a two-finger-swipe from the top will pull down the systems quick settings menu. Why two fingers rather than one? Well, simple, one-finger-swipe is already in use. To make that work would require all third-party applications being re-written.

2 FINGER IS IN USE TOO!!!!!! LEARN BB10 OS BEFORE WRITING ARTICLES!!!! SO WHAT HAPPENS TO ZOOMING SHORT-CUT HMMMM?? MUST BE GETTING RID OF THAT!! WHY DONT YOU COMMENT ON THAT CLEWLEY!!!!

I don't want goofy Google on my BlackBerry! That's why I got two phones one Z 10 and an Android. I have tried my best to run away from Google advertising by buying a new BlackBerry and if and when I can stomach the ads that's when I use my HTC and allow Google to look over my shoulder.
If you want Google go buy a Google phone just leave my BlackBerry out of it. Tracking cookies and all that junk makes ms mad. I couldn't even read my mail without Google reading along with me and then advertising what I just read about all over again.
I'm sick of Google!

...and what would be one of the most useful features still remains to be seen. That would be the ability to adjust the ring tone volume with the volume rocker. It is totally stupid that it only controls media/app volume. "Main Volume" does not even control ring tone volume, either. To adjust ring tone volume you have to go into Notifications. Totally stupid.

Good news, but where are the "sound profile" like old OS we asked from the first version of OS10?
Not only for a meeting, but soud different between home and work. Not the same email account will be notify or vibe.
I cross my fingers!

Greetings to all, I bet everyone is excited to see the 10.3. It would be lovely as well to add some other features:
. Possibility to change fonts type
. Changing the icons to more futuristic look losing skeumorphism.
. Adding panoramic shooting mode in the camera.
. Ability to lock the main screen of the calculator in order to stay fix while typing on the numbers.

Looking forward to seeing the new OS update if only more people would stop and look they would see how awesome BlackBerry 10 has become and that BlackBerry are serious contenders in the smartphone market so they could start getting the sales they deserve!

Hey, I heard, and it was in the first 10.3 leak as well, the panaroma finally made way to BlackBerry right?
There was a panaroma and white balance adjusting functions?
So have they ditched the idea or what?

How about "Find" in Remember for crissake?? And take me directly to the location of the search term, not just to the note that happens to contain it and ask me to manually scan all of the text until I find what i'm looking for. "Find on Page" also please, or does this present some kind of massive technical challenge, given it's 2014 and it's still a chore to find things in my notes....

If possible I'd like to see some improvements in the native BB10 Browser in 10.3 or 10.3.1. Switching between tabs should be one swipe away from right to left or left to right, just like navigating between pages on the home screen. This would be much more efficient than the current way of tapping the tab box THEN selecting whichever page the user would like to go to.

OMG!! Creating tasks from the calendar was the biggest loss for me coming from the 9900. I often considered going back for that one feature and now, yes! Here on the os10. It's about time but in not bitter , just excited. Bring it soon please.

Since we're not getting BlackBerry OS 10.3 until version 10.3.1 the "feature list" is immaterial as it will probably change significantly. It would have been a nic spring surprise to receive 10.3. Oh well, the more BlackBerry changes the more BlackBerry remains the same.

What's the chances of having the contacts go back to the front contact page. After you find the person that you are wanting. When you go back to search contacts again it's never usually that same letter. I hope everyone understands.

After searching for a contact, once you close out contacts, and if you need to search for another contact, the contacts app should be back to the front page. Not the last contact searched. It gets annoying.

Hello, Service indicator led. Been talked about and requested numerous times. Easy to just make it user selectable. Some people liked it. Please add it back and make it standard on all devices as before. Just have an option to use it or not for people that do not want it. Tnx

How about fixing contacts...
1. The space between each other needs to self-adjusting (to compensate for font size)
2. Double and triple entry contacts entries (local contact, SIM, and different email accounts, etc...)

This would truly be awesome. I can't count how much time I spend cleaning my contact list (not huge but I have over 300); it's frustrating to say the least

The only feature I'm looking forward to is the Hub "Reset". The Remember app needs a lot more work: The ability to attach emails to a task - later and not only by flagging them (so you can keep track of a process), locking attached emails in the hub, so that they don't disappear from the task after a certain time, moving tasks between all remember folders, configure to which folder a flagged email goes (or only rename it to 'flagged mail' instead of 'unfiled'), cleanup of the UI: Too much wasted space, automatic moving of overdue tasks in the calendar, so that you still see them...

I don't get the excitement over endless folders, because when you start to even get close to the maximum 16 gigs, your phone begins to do wacky things. My Z10 would erase media or maintain deleted media once I hit the 15.7 GB point. Once I cleaned out some things, the phone has worked fine ever since. This issue occurred around last Christmas. So, endless folders. What's the point until BlackBerry increases space for memory and storage?

I would like to suggest that a third option appear while typing when I press the ?123 button. I would love it if a third selection screen would pop up that looks like the dial pad screen for the phone. It would be extremely helpful for login entries for online banking or security logins for remote access. Just my 2 cents worth.

And the equalizer works but only works in the moment u are playing a song but the moment u close the media player and go by into it although what every effect u choose says it's on weather bass or whatever but u have to turn off the equalizer and turn it bk on for the effect to take place u can try it an see what I mean

The Empty Home Screen sounds great. I know I'll use that to see my wallpaper better.

Hopefully, I'll be able to select and delete multiple messages from the the Hub only, instead of just one at a time, the way I'm limited to now. I have no idea why some programer decided I can select and delete multiple messages off the server, but only one at a time from the Hub only. I'd also like to directly sync my memos and task lists from Outlook directly to by BBRY without using third-party software.

Yeah, I'm one of the people still complaining about useful features that were not included in OS10. I still feel like a useful tool has been broken.

What about fixing the small issue of swiping up? Sometimes when I swipe up, screen gets sticky and doesn't unlock properly...can only be fixed by pressing the lock button. Anyone else having same issue as I do on Q10?

Just the large game data files. UNIX (and QNX is a variant) offers hard- and soft-linking. Should not be too hard to implement.

Maybe even an encrypted virtual drive or file as a container to hold app data files on the SD card. You'd type that out in two minutes on the Linux / Unix commandline. Create an empty file, make filesystem, mount as loop device, move files, soft-link or hard link to original location.

Just the largest game data files would be helpful. UNIX allows for that (QNX is a variant), just sym-linking them to the original location on the device.

Shouldn't be too hard to do. Great would be an(encrypted) virtual drive or file as a container for app data files on the SD card.
On a Linux / Unix command line you can do that in less than two minutes. Create empty file of desired size, make filesystem, mount as loop device (and optionally set up ecryptfs if you want), enter in fstab, move files over into new location, link back files to original location on the device, enjoy.

Hope they make the native weather app icon to show the current temperature based on your current location. That would be so sweet and not have to open the app every time you want to know the temp. Have no idea if it's even possible.

Give us:
1) Virtual trackpad on the touch keyboard. If you have tried the SwipeSelection tweak on a jailbroken iOS device, that's a very very good implementation and most efficient cursor manipulation/selection I have seen so far on a touch keyboard.
2) Consumer VPN. Need it badly here in the Middle East where BBM voice has been blocked.

These are the two main reasons I still keep my iPhone. I hope Blackberry can implement these features on the 10.3 update.

Do you know if BB plan to release a lock feature for the hub ?Let me explain a bit : an option to lock using a password (like for the whole device) only the hub.

BB10 devices are great for work and for those that cannot have the balance feature, the hub is THE place where it can be stored some critical information (business mail with attachements, private messages...) and not everybody is supposed to have an access to this.

Calendar: I wish they could allow you to copy and paste Calendar events from one date to the next. So when
I want to copy my wife's shifts for the next shift schedule I don't have to recreate the whole event but just copy and paste to the new date (the same way I can now do it in Outlook 2010).

Sad to hear there is no update to the voice assistant....blackberry needs a siri like voice assitant...if I'm looking to find out the weather or a sports score blackberry will give you a page of links to search for it rather than a page with the info wanted...also would be great if we could have a better navigation app
..blackberry navigator would be awesome....not too thrilled with BlackBerry maps...one other thing that would be cool is to be able to refresh the browser by pulling down and releasing just like the refresh on the crackberry app

The hub timer would be user cool for me.
I wish BlackBerry could talk or at least a dress this contacts confusion, it's weird because I don't have a single problem with my contacts, some people are reporting this and others (like me) don't seem to have any trouble.
So there must be something going on there.

Camera upgrade deserve some more attention then that.
You can take videos and take still while recording.
Panorama
Timer?
You can now save TimeShift and edit later/save later or save individual frames later.

Extra row of icons added to Z10 is very cool, this was another annoying thing during my test a year ago - and when Z30 debuted with the (almost) the same resolution but with an extra row of icons I was baffled why they didn't update the Z10 in 10.2 as well...

The leak is working well on my Q5, I'm happy to see that the changes just aren't mostly cosmetic like iOS7. I do hope there is more news on the 'Intelligent Assistant'. The assistant in the leak version seems to be buggy... But otherwise, looking good!

Mannn. I like that boxy thing around those icons. Please make it optional, blackberry. I think it looks damn nice and damn hot, especially when we use 'Backberry Peek'. Another thing is that it looks much more professional having that box. Pleaseeeee, I am begging you, give us options :'(

Two finger swipe - why stop at two finger swipe from the top to bring up Quick Settings? How about two finger swipe from the left edge opening the Hub? Two finger swipe across the screen to switch apps?

Being a BlackBerry user for almost 14 years, I'm locked on having a keyboard and have a Q10. I love that some functions from the Legacy OS have been brought back - Speed Dial, T for Top, B for Bottom, but I still miss quick keys from the Home screen. They don't have to be the same as they used to be, but I'd love to be able to tap M (or H) for Messages (Hub), B for Browser, D (or C) for aDdress Book (Contacts), L for caLendar etc. It would be nice to be able to program saved searches in the Hub also. I used to be able to use Alt-U to show all Unread messages (I know, pinch...), Alt-F to show all Flagged messages, etc.

I need more room for the Lock Screen message. I used to be able to put my name, email, and address, now only name and email is possible, even though there's plenty of room. (annoyance!)

Also, on my Legacy BlackBerry, if it was locked and I started typing the unlock code, it would accept the typing - even on my 9900 with Touch. Now I have to swipe first - twice if it's asleep! Be true to your legacy - keyboards are great. You've gone too touchy-feely!

Now that you're giving us an empty home screen (YES), will you/developers allow information to be layered over the wallpaper? I like having the time and temperature large and easy to see - without having an app cluttering the screen. There's certainly plenty of other things that could be displayed too.

How about customizable tile size. On my Q10 only 4 tiles can be displayed, but that could easily be 9, and even 12.

And speaking of notifications, I used to get Tweets in Messages from people that I follow. Now, there's no notification unless my ID is mentioned.

The call button turn red when you are on call noting that you can tap it to end a call when the phone app is minimized.

Contacts cleaned up so no duplicates.

The time portion of a calendar event be on same screen so I don't have to go to another screen and back.

Search bars all at the bottom like the wisdom of the browser search.

Apps arranged at bottom or the option...so we don't have to try to reach top left with right thumb while using one hand. Kevin talks about this one and I agree.

Glitches with file manager and search functions fixed. It takes so long sometimes or on occasion does nothing. File manager hangs.

Easier way for bbm to find contacts. This is likely one of the biggest impediments to its growth. Whatsapp automatically shows all your contacts (many of which are wrong and we don't want that). But ability to pick and choose. Also on iphone most people tell me they don't know when they have messages...i know get a BlackBerry with hub but they are obviously not interested in efficiency...they have to open app to see them. they need like a headless type version so app doesn't have to be open.

If you can open messages, take a picture and make calls from the lock screen, then what's the point if even having a lock screen? If you have to hold down something for a couple seconds or swipe you jay have well just have swiped up to unlock the phone in the first place...

I agree. Having for example, a shortcut to a commonly used contact would be great (makes life easier when you are walking and using your phone). This allows calling them w/o unlocking the screen. I was able to do that on Android 2.X.

I am running 10.3 on my Q10 and almost all the above mentioned functions are working very smoothly. I say almost all as I have not tried all the functions. The only problem I have are watermarks or pin what ever you want to call it. These are permanently displayed on four sides of my screen. If anyone out there can help me getting rid of these please do so. Apart from that all is well, just can't wait for it to come out official very soon. Try the leak it's not bad, fresh experience, fresh start. Way to go #Blackberry

I read elsewhere that camera Time Shift shots can be saved and edited later. This is greatly needed for group shots and candid shots. I always take many shots and select the best ones later. Saving Time Shift shots is truly a great improvement. (I also read that there is a new panorama feature.) Something I would like confirmed from prior rumors though, is whether there is a self-timer shutter release and what the settings are. Can someone please check this out and report?

I wish there was a folder that you could drag and drop current running apps. There isn't much space for the large windows that are on the screen when the app is running, however, I don't like "run in background" apps because they are easy to go unnoticed and eat battery. It would be great if you could drag running apps into a folder, giving the illusion of "running in background", but easily visible and can add or turn off any app at whim without having to fish around and find the feature to disable it. I think this would stick true to BB10 operating concept, plus it would probably wouldn't require any additional programming by app developers.

Way too slow? Releasing major updates once a year is standard practice. I don't know many other companies that provide major updates more often. BB10 hasn't been out very long (relatively speaking), and they've released 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.2.1 and working on 10.3. Updates are coming along nicely as far as I'm concerned.

As much as I like these most needed features, if rumor has it correctly and this is not released until late in the year, within this time frame how many of these features are going to be omitted as they have in the past when we were shown one thing the by the time the Z10 was released a lot of these features that a lot looked forward to were changed or completely left out

I would love for them to add a feature in which you can save a certain text message responses while deleting the rest. You have to save any texts with a third party app, which is tedious. Even the crappier smartphones have a feature where you can lock the response to save it and prevent it from being deleted. Also an audible notification for missed calls, along with the blinking LED light and missed call icon on the lock screen.

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